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Daryl Dragon of '70s pop sensations Captain and Tennille died of renal failure Wednesday, Jan. 2, at a hospice in Prescott with former wife Toni Tennille by his side, according to his publicist. He was 76. More commonly known as the Captain, Dragon was a member of the Beach Boys from 1967 to 1972 before forming a duo with Tennille in 1974. They topped the Billboard Hot 100 in the summer of 1975 with a debut single that became the biggest-selling record of the year, "Love Will Keep Us Together." MORE: Why Tennille left the Captain Their best-known hits included "The Way I Want to Touch You," "Lonely Night (Angel Face)," "Shop Around," "Muskrat Love," "You Never Done it Like That" and second chart-topper "Do That To Me One More Time." The Hollywood Reporter quoted Tennille saying, "He was a brilliant musician with many friends who loved him greatly. I was at my most creative in my life, when I was with him." MORE: Captain & Tennille back in Arizona, but … [Read more...] about Daryl Dragon of Captain & Tennille has died in Prescott at 76

Jeb Rosebrook, whose long and diverse screenwriting career took moviegoers into deep space with "The Black Hole" and small-town Prescott with "Junior Bonner," has died. Rosebrook, who had lived in Scottsdale since 1995, died Sept. 3. He was 83. Despite his lengthy Hollywood career, he had a long relationship with Arizona. Born in New York City on June 11, 1935, he was raised in New York and Connecticut. But after he was diagnosed with asthma at age 9, his parents sent him to the Quarter Circle V Bar Ranch School in Mayer, a prep school now known as the Orme School. He would attend boarding school the rest of his childhood. He graduated from Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia, in 1957. He initially moved to New York and then Phoenix, where he worked in advertising for three years. He later left for Los Angeles, where he wrote his first novel during off-hours. The acclaimed "Saturday" was published in 1965. MORE … [Read more...] about Jeb Rosebrook, screenwriter of ‘The Black Hole,’ ‘Junior Bonner,’ dies in Scottsdale

In 2018, we said goodbye to a lot of greats in the world of arts and entertainment. There were the trailblazers: Aretha Franklin, who forever changed the face of music. Tom Wolfe, the white-suited gent who memorably blended journalism and literary techniques. John Gavin, a Mexican-American actor in the ‘50s who refused to be narrowed by his ethnicity. And Stan Lee, who revolutionized the comic-book industry and inspired geeks everywhere to dream. Then there were those who were simply terrific at what they did. Neil Simon, who could make almost anyone laugh, or Burt Reynolds, the biggest movie star in the world at one point in the 1970s. Nancy Wilson wasn’t merely a wonderful singer; she oozed class and good taste throughout her career. And, as always, there were those whose deaths simply shocked us: Mac Miller, Anthony Bourdain and Dolores O’Riordan from the Cranberries fall into that sad category. Here is a roll call of some who died in 2018. … [Read more...] about In memoriam: Remembering celebrities who died in 2018

LOS ANGELES — Nancy Wilson, the Grammy-winning song stylist and torch singer whose polished pop-jazz vocals made her a platinum artist and top concert performer, has died. Wilson, who retired from touring in 2011, died after a long illness at her home in Pioneertown, a California desert community near Joshua Tree National Park, her manager and publicist Devra Hall Levy told the Associated Press late Thursday night. She was 81. Influenced by Dinah Washington, Nat "King" Cole and other stars, Wilson covered everything from jazz standards to "Little Green Apples" and in the 1960s alone released eight albums that reached the top 20 on Billboard's pop charts. Sometimes elegant and understated, or quick and conversational and a little naughty, she was best known for such songs as her breakthrough "Guess Who I Saw Today" and the 1964 hit "(You Don't Know) How Glad I Am," which drew upon Broadway, pop and jazz influences. She resisted being identified with a single category, … [Read more...] about Nancy Wilson, influential pop and jazz singer, dies at 81

Country star Roy Clark, the guitar virtuoso and singer who headlined the cornpone TV show "Hee Haw" for nearly a quarter century and was known for such hits as "Yesterday When I was Young" and "Honeymoon Feeling," has died. He was 85. Publicist Jeremy Westby said Clark died Thursday due to complications from pneumonia at home in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Clark was "Hee Haw" host or co-host for its entire 24-year run, with Buck Owens his best known co-host. The country music and comedy show's last episode aired in 1993, though reruns continued for a few years thereafter. "'Hee Haw' won't go away. It brings a smile to too many faces," he said in 2004, when the show was distributed on VHS and DVD for the first time. Clark played the guitar, banjo, fiddle, mandolin, harmonica and other instruments. His skills brought him gigs as guest performer with many top orchestras, including the Boston Pops. In 1976 he headlined a tour of the Soviet Union, breaking boundaries that were usually closed to … [Read more...] about Roy Clark, ‘Hee Haw’ host, country guitar virtuoso, dies at 85